Collection bag

ABSTRACT

A collection bag for receiving and collecting body fluids comprising, a receptacle having a pair of opposed walls defining a chamber, with one of the walls having an opening communicating with the chamber, and a connector having a cavity to receive the body fluids. The connector is attached to the one wall over the opening with the connector cavity communicating with the receptacle chamber to permit passage of fluids from the connector into the chamber for collection therein, and the connector may be ruptured from the one wall after use of the bag to permit access to the collected fluids through the opening.

This application is a division of Ser. No. 137,225, filed Apr. 4, 1980,now U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,447, issued Feb. 2, 1982, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of Ser. No. 004,972 filed Jan. 22, 1979, nowabandoned, and which in turn is a continuation of Ser. No. 791,658,filed Apr. 28, 1977, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fluid collection receptacles, and moreparticularly to collection bags for receiving and collecting bodyfluids.

In the past, an assortment of receptacles have been proposed to collectbody fluids, such as bags which collect urine during catheterization. Inthe usual form, urine collection receptacles are designed for usethroughout an extended period of catheterization, and thus includevalves or related devices which may be utilized to empty the bags orobtain samples during catheterization. However, in many instances it isonly necessary to catheterize a patient over a relatively short periodof time, and the normal bags with valves have been found unnecessarilycomplex in structure and expensive for this purpose since the short-termbags are discarded after a single use.

Of course, it is desirable that such single-use bags permit access tothe collected fluid after catheterization in order to empty the bagsprior to disposal or obtain a fluid sample, when required. In the past,tools, such as scissors, have been utilized to sever a corner of thebags in order to open the bag after which the bag contents could bepoured through the opening. However, such a procedure has requiredaccessory equipment in the vicinity of the patient, and has been foundinconvenient to hospital personnel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A principal feature of the present invention is the provision of animproved bag of simplified construction for use in collecting bodyfluids.

The bag of the present invention comprises, a receptacle having a pairof opposed walls defining a chamber, with one of the walls having anopening communicating with the chamber, and a connector having a cavityto receive the body fluids. The bag also has means for attaching theconnector to the one wall over the opening with the connector cavitycommunicating with the receptacle chamber to permit passage of fluidsfrom the connector into the chamber for collection therein, and forrupturing the connector from the one wall after use of the bag includinga tab to permit access to the collected fluid through the opening.

A feature of the present invention is that the bag may be utilized tocollect body fluids in the receptacle chamber.

Another feature of the invention is that the tab may be utilized toremove the connector from the receptacle wall and to provide access tothe collected fluid in the chamber after use of the bag.

A further feature of the invention is that the collected fluid may beemptied through the wall opening or a sample of the collected fluid maybe obtained through the wall opening.

Thus, a feature of the invention is that the collection bag permitsaccess to the fluid contents in a convenient and simplified mannerwithout the necessity of accessory tools.

Further features will become more fully apparent in the followingdescription of the embodiments of this invention and from the appendedclaims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a collection bag of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially as indicatedalong the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially as indicatedalong the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bag of FIG. 1 illustrating removalof a connector from a bag wall;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view, taken partly in section, ofanother embodiment of a collection bag of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view, taken partly in section, ofanother embodiment of a collection bag of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, there is shown a collection or drainage baggenerally designated 10 having a receptacle 11 and a connector 13attached to the receptacle 11. As shown, the receptacle 11 has a pair ofopposed front and back walls 12 and 14, respectively, which may be madefrom a flexible material, such as polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride,and which may be sealed together at their sides 16 in order to define acollection chamber 18 in the receptacle. In a preferred form, theconnector 13 comprises a drip chamber having a wall 20 defining an innercavity 22 which communicates with the receptacle chamber 18 through anopening 24 in only the receptacle front wall 12. Also, the collectionbag 10 has a drainage tube 26 having a downstream end 28 received in anannular groove 30 of the connector 13, such that a lumen 32 of thedrainage tube 26 communicates with the connector cavity 22 through aninlet port 34 of the connector 13.

During catheterization, an adapter 36 at an upstream end 38 of thedrainage tube 26 is connected to a proximal end 40 of a catheter 42.Thus, urine L drains through the catheter 42 and drainage tube 26 intothe connector cavity 22 after which it passes from the connector 13 intothe receptacle chamber 18 for collection therein. The drainage systemand receptacle are closed to the atmosphere in order to maintain thesystem in a sterile condition, and, as will be seen below, the drainagebag of the present invention permits ready access to the fluid contentsof the closed bag after catheterization has been completed.

Thus, with reference to FIGS. 1-3, the bag 10 has a rupture member 44 offlexible material, such as polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride,comprising a ring 46 having an opening 48 of a size similar to the sizeof the wall opening 24, and having an integral free tab 50 extendingoutwardly from the ring 46 relative the wall opening 24. A lower surface52 of the ring 46 is attached to an outer surface 54 of the front wall12 in a region of bonding 56 which extends peripherally around the frontwall opening 24. The ring 46 of the rupture member 44 is fixedly bondedto the wall 12 with sufficient strength to prevent reattachment to thewall 12 after being ruptured therefrom. Also, the connector 13 has alower outwardly directed flange 58 defining a connector base 60 having alower generally planar surface 62. As shown, the lower surface 62 of theconnector base 60 is fixedly attached to an outer surface 64 of the ring46 in a region of bonding 66 which extends peripherally around thereceptacle opening 24 and rupture member opening 48. In a suitable form,the bonding regions 56 and 66 may be defined by adhesive or by heatsealing between the components. Thus, the connector 13 is attached tothe receptacle front wall 12 by bonding between the connector base 60and the rupture member 44 in the region 66 and by bonding between therupture member 44 and the receptacle front wall 12 in the region 56.

During catheterization, the back wall 14 of the receptacle 11 normallyrests upon a support surface, such that the connector 13 is locatedabove the receptacle. The drainage tube 26 may be selectively opened orclosed by a shaped slot 67 in a suitable clamp 68 during or aftercatheterization. Thus, after catheterization has been completed, thedrainage tube 26 may be closed by the clamp 68, and the adapter 36 ofthe drainage tube 26 may be removed from the catheter 42.

At this time, with reference to FIG. 4, the tab 50 of the rupture member44 may be grasped by the attendant, such as a nurse, and pulled in adirection away from the receptacle front wall 12 as indicated by thedirection of the arrow in the drawing, in order to rupture or sever thebonding region 56 between the rupture member ring 46 and the front wall12. In this manner, the connector 13 may be readily removed from thereceptacle front 12 only once in order to provide access to thecollected urine through the wall opening 24 after catheterization hasbeen completed. Of course, the connector 13 is attached with sufficientstrength to maintain the connector on the receptacle duringcatheterization and prevent premature release of the connector from thereceptacle. After the connector 13 has been removed from the receptacle11, the fluid contents may be emptied through the receptacle opening 24,or a urine sample may be obtained through the opening 24, if desired.Thus, in accordance with the present invention, the collection bag maybe used for a single catheterization after which the collected fluid maybe removed from the receptacle chamber in a convenient and simplifiedmanner without the requirement of accessory tools, such as scissors,which would be otherwise necessary to sever the bag.

Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 5, inwhich like reference numerals designate like parts. In this embodiment,the attachment such as adhesive directly bonds the lower surface 62 ofan inner base portion to the outer wall surface 54 in a bonding region70 which extends peripherally around the receptacle opening 24. The baseis fixedly bonded to the wall 12 with sufficient strength to preventreattachment to the wall 12 after being ruptured therefrom. As before,the rupture member 44 comprises a ring 46 and a free tab 50 whichextends outwardly from the ring 46 relative the receptacle opening 24.However, in this embodiment, the ring opening 48 is spaced from thereceptacle opening 24, such that the bonded portion of the connectorbase 60 is located intermediate the ring 46 and the receptacle opening24. In a preferred form, the flange 58 of the connector base 60 has anannular recess 72 at a lower outer portion of the base 60 to receive therupture member ring 46 intermediate the flange 58 and the outer surface54 of the front wall 12. Also, in a preferred form, the lower surface 52of the ring 46 is bonded to the outer surface 54 of the front wall 12 bysuitable means, such as adhesive, in a bonding region 74 which extendsperipherally around the outside of the bonding region 70 between theconnector base 60 and the receptacle 11.

In this manner, the connector 13 is directly bonded to the receptaclefront wall 12, and the rupture member 44 is received intermediate anouter portion of the connector base 60 and the receptacle front wall 12.After catheterization has been completed, the tab 50 of the rupturemember 44 may be grasped and pulled in order to rupture the ring 46 andthe connector 13 from the receptacle front wall 12 only once in a manneras previously described.

Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 6, inwhich like reference numerals designate like parts. In this embodiment,the lower surface 62 of the connector base 60 is directly bonded to theouter surface 54 of the receptacle front wall 12 by suitable means, suchas adhesive or heat sealing, in a bonding region 76 which extendsperipherally around the receptacle opening 24. The base is fixedlybonded to the wall 12 with sufficient strength to prevent reattachmentto the wall 12 after being ruptured therefrom. Also, in this embodiment,the free tab 50' comprises an integral portion of the connector flange58 and extends outwardly from a lower portion of the connector 13adjacent the base 60. Thus, after catheterization has been completed,the tab 50' may be grasped by the attendant and pulled in order torupture the bonding region 76 between the connector 13 and thereceptacle front wall 12. In this manner, the connector 13 is removedfrom the receptacle 11 only once in order to provide access to thecollected fluid through the receptacle opening 24. In a preferred form,the connector 13 may be made from a flexible material, such aspolyethylene or polyvinyl chloride, in order that the tab 50' isrelatively flexible and may be readily grasped during removal of theconnector 13 from the receptacle 11.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness ofunderstanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

We claim:
 1. A collection bag for receiving anc collecting body fluids,comprising:a receptacle having a pair of opposed walls defining achamber, means defining an opening through only one of said walls, thewall opening means communicating with the chamber, and means defining aregion of bonding which extends peripherally about the wall openingmeans; a connector having a cavity to receive the body fluids andopening means defined through said connector having dimensionssubstantially the same as those of said wall opening means, there beinga peripheral flange extending outwardly from said connector openingmeans to define a base having a lower planar surface with an innercircumference substantially the same as that of said wall opening meansregion of bonding; a rupture member in the form of a ring having a lowersurface and an outer, upper surface, said ring having an innercircumference substantially the same as those of said wall and connectoropening means, bonding means for affixing said ring lower surface tosaid wall opening means region of bonding with sufficient strength toprevent reattachment to the one wall opening means region of bondingafter being ruptured therefrom, additional bonding means for affixingsaid ring outer upper surface to said connector upper flange, said ringand connector remaining in assembly subsequent to rupturing of saidrupture member from said receptacle one wall, and a tab extendingoutwardly from the ring and graspable by the fingers of a user to movesaid tab upwardly from said receptacle one wall, thus to rupture saidrupture member and connector unitary assembly from said receptacle onewall; and a conduit extending from the connector and communication withsaid connector cavity.